Colorado wildfire continues to grow over weekend

Firefighters from the Northwest Colorado Interagency Fire Management Unit continue to battle the Hunt Fire which has grown to 2,300 acres on Bureau of Land Management land about 26 miles southwest of Meeker in Rio Blanco County.

The lighting-caused fire has spread another 426 acres and is now scorching 2,300 acres amid hot and dry conditions as of Sunday, September 8. It sparked on Thursday, September 5.

The Hunt Fire is burning in thick brush on ridges and valleys north of the Roan Plateau. The burning of heavy dead, downed trees, and thick brush will allow for new vegetative growth, as well as improved habitats for wildlife species and better livestock distribution in grazing allotments.

Two heavy helicopters, hand crews, and several engines from BLM and local cooperators are working to keep the fire north of the Rio Blanco County line, south of an oil pipeline and east of Hunter Creek and west of West Willow Creek, according to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office. Several isolated historic cabins and oil and gas facilities have also been protected from the blaze.

An area closure is in effect for public lands and routes within an area north of Rio Blanco County line, east of Hunter Creek Road, west of Willow Creek Road, and extending north to County Road 5. This closure also includes Big Jimmy Gulch.

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